Rays-Angels Preview

The Rays will also have the only pitcher to beat the Angels in
the past 11 days, Chris Archer, starting in Monday night's series
opener.

Tampa Bay (75-60) suffered its seventh loss in eight games and
fourth in a row Sunday, 5-1 in Oakland. Percentage points ahead of
Boston in the AL East on Aug. 24, the Rays have fallen 5 1/2 games
back in that race and are three games ahead of Baltimore for the
AL's final wild card berth.

A struggling offense carries much of the blame. Tampa Bay has
batted .217 - including .191 with runners in scoring position -
while producing 17 runs in its last eight games.

"We'll get through this. We'll be fine," manager Joe Maddon
said. "In a lot of these moments the right guys have been up in RBI
situations. It just didn't work out. We're struggling with runners
in scoring position and I keep believing it will happen. You just
have to fight your way through it, that's all. It's all about the
guys you planned to get you here and you stay with them."

Tampa Bay scored a combined nine runs while splitting the first
two games of last week's series against Los Angeles but managed
three hits in losing Thursday's finale 2-0.

Archer (8-5, 2.81 ERA) was credited with the win in Wednesday's
4-1 victory, allowing one run over seven innings in his first
matchup with the Angels (63-72). He'll next try to lead Tampa Bay
to its 14th victory in 16 games in Anaheim.

Archer would appear to have a good chance to aid that attempt as
he's 3-0 with a 1.52 ERA in his last five road starts.

Los Angeles has lost four straight in Anaheim and has one win in
its last 10 games there, but the club is returning home from a
stellar road trip.

The pitching staff posted a 2.03 ERA on that 8-1 trek and gave
up four hits in Sunday's 5-3 victory over Milwaukee, the Angels'
fourth in a row.

"Our guys are playing hard and really getting after it every
day," manager Mike Scioscia said.

While Los Angeles' staff has shined lately, Garrett Richards
(4-6, 4.16) was hardly at his best while pitching opposite Archer
on Wednesday. He gave up four runs in 3 1-3 innings, his shortest
start of the season.

The right-hander had pitched 7 1-3 innings in his prior outing,
a 2-0 win in Seattle on Aug. 23.

"It was just an off night," Richards said. "I just didn't have
it from the beginning. Arm felt good. Body felt good. I just wasn't
there tonight. I'm not going to take this as a step back. I'm just
going to move forward from it."

J.B. Shuck is batting .387 during a seven-game hit streak and
went 5 for 13 during last week's series against Tampa Bay. He had
two hits off Archer.

Yunel Escobar is batting .389 in 21 career games against Los
Angeles, his best against any opponent, and is 15 for 35 (.429)
during a 10-game hit streak versus the Angels.

Ben Zobrist is batting .385 during an 11-game hit streak against
Los Angeles and had two hits off Richards on Wednesday.

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